Film crew downtown draws SRO crowd

A New York film crew called Radical Media came to Madison last
Thursday and Friday to shoot a Kodak commercial that will air
during the Academy Awards broadcast Sunday, March 25.

The crew shot exterior scenes all day and late into the night
last Thursday in the downtown business district, sometimes adding
props to storefronts or transforming the facades of shops to fit
the storyline. On Friday the company shot interior scenes in the
parsonage of the Madison First Baptist Church on Cook
Avenue.

Location manager Charles Furer indicated the crew was attracted
to Madison's downtown because it summoned up "Main Street USA," and
the only suitable alternative was a street in faraway Los
Angeles.

Sushi At 8?

The commercial's storyline has a young man using a new Kodak
"MP3" product to videotape clues on storefronts that he will stitch
together into a "cryptogram" and e-mail to the girl of his dreams.
Scenes showing rawhide, fish, a "Friday the 13th" movie poster, and
an 8-ball add up to the invitation, "Sushi, Fri day night at 8
p.m.?"

The commercial's final scene shows boy and girl meeting in front
of the sushi bar actually Sandy's Hair Salon on Waverly Place,
transformed with a new sign above the door and a neon "Sushi" in
the window.

On Friday, the crew shot interiors at the Baptist parsonage
which depicted the boy and girl communicating via computer from
their respective homes.

Store owners whose shops were directly involved in the shooting
were compensated, as was the church, which lent the film crew not
only its parsonage, but the church basement as a production area.
In another benefit for the church, the crew completely repainted
the parsonage's interior.

The Thursday Morning Club's Madison Community House across the
street on Cook Avenue also profited, providing tables, chairs and
space for the production company to break for lunch and dinner over
the two days. The crew had been steered to the Community House by
Downtown Manager Janice Piccolo, who was consulted in advance by
the production company and who was on hand throughout the downtown
filming.

Not everyone found the two-day shoot a plus, however.

When the crew arrived in Madison last Thursday morning, it
parked more equipment trailers than anticipated along Main Street,
occupying spaces normally open to customers. At Monday night's
Borough Council meeting, Nicole Francoeur of Rose City Framers on
Waverly Place complained the company ate up 20 parking spaces and
closed down one side of Waverly Place for four hours.

Need For Guidelines

The Radical Media visit prompted a discussion at Monday night's
Borough Council work session about a need for formal guidelines to
regulate location filming in the borough.

Mayor John "Jack" Dunne raised the issue, but made it clear from
the outset that when he met the Kodak commercial's director and
location manager last Thursday, "I told them I welcomed commercial
filming in town," for the "recognition" it brings Madison. "The
major issue is public safety," said the mayor.

Dunne noted Piccolo had obtained some model ordinances from
other municipalities that addressed "most of my concerns," and he
offered to consult with the police department about new guidelines.
Dunne is a former law enforcement official.

Councilman Mark Peck suggested the Downtown Development
Commission (DDC) also should draw up recommendations for guidelines
and forward them to the council.

Piccolo said that "in some cases" municipalities institute a
permit fee for filming in public places.

Councilman Ellwood "Woody" Kerkeslager said he agreed location
filming is "good for Madison" but he was concerned officials might
underestimate the costs to the borough, in terms of police control
over traffic and crowds, and the time spent on consultations by
Sgt. John Sabanosh, the police traffic safety officer, and by
Downtown Manager Piccolo.

Dunne noted that Radical Media "came in with a larger crew than
anticipated" and "had a major impact on the business district at
that time." He said new regulations should "incorporate designated
parking for buses and trailers" to avoid "so much parking in the
central district."

The mayor added, "In residential zones, we should look at the
hours of shooting" and require "special permission" to deviate from
those hours. He said regulations also should address the
restoration of any exteriors altered during filming.

Dunne also remarked that charging fees to production companies
would be appropriate, but simply asking for "donations" to film in
Madison would be too much " like a shakedown."

Borough Attorney Joseph Mezzacca Jr. agreed charging "a fee to
cover some service" would be proper, but asking for "just a
donation" struck him as improper.

Kerkeslager volunteered to serve on a committee that would
thoroughly analyze the "up-front" costs to the borough when film
crews shoot in Madison.

Councilman George Hayman said he had visited the First Baptist
Church on Sunday and the congregation had found its dealings with
the production company were "very good for them." Hayman said he
was concerned, however, about people affected less directly by a
production crew and whether they too should be
compensated.

Councilman Peter Flemming Sr. countered, "You're going to have a
business 'way down the block say they were affected."

Mezzacca suggested compensation could be extended to "adjacent
property owners."

Kerkeslager remarked location shooting in the borough was "good
for Madison, but not a right." Mezzacca agreed no one had an
automatic right to "create traffic problems" and block roads or
sidewalks.

"We're trying to keep the name of Madison out front," Mayor
Dunne reminded the council, noting that one of the production
people "said Madison has a lot to offer."

Flemming added that business owners he spoke with "said the
video company was very helpful.'

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